Thursday, 7 August 2014

Drake's Drum - Henry Newbolt

It was an earlier than usual and a
rushed start to the day as we had to be on our way to Bournemouth
Railway Station by 07:30 on Tuesday morning. With the usual 5 traps to
see to and a threat of rain it was 'all hands to the pumps'!

However, despite 'red sky in the morning' it look 'set fair' to the East.
Highlights, if indeed they qualify as such, from the traps included

FLOUNCED RUSTIC

2 very distinct and seperate colour variations of
BULRUSH WAINSCOT
and a

CLOAKED MINOR
which threw me completely not being of the usual pattern.

Hugh (left), Daryle (elder son centre) and I met my Australian
son-in-law Bernard at Waterloo Railway Station and were soon taking one of
my particular favourite strolls in London along the South Bank.

In the distance and opposite The Square Mile
the heart of the Capital.

The First World War Royal Navy (RN) Ship
HMS PRESIDENT
formally known as HMS Saxifrage a 'Flower Class'
Anti-Submarine 'Q' ships whos name changed in 1922.
To commemorate the Centinary of the beggining of that conflict the
hull and superstructure have been returned to the
DAZZLE CAMOUFLAGE,
by German artist Tobias Rehberger which may have been its colours during that period.

Approaching
BLACKFRIERS BRIDGE
with
ST PAUL'S CATHEDRAL
in the background.

MILLENIUM (Pedestrian) BRIDGE

None of us had planned to get 'legless' during this jaunt but that
was only before I handed the camera to Bernard.

Ye Olde Worlde Pub

GOLDEN HINDE
(replica)
Sir Francic Drake's famous Galleon in which he sailed around the World
between 1577 and 1580.Drake's DrumDrake he's in his hammock an' a thousand miles away,(Capten art thou sleepin' there below?)Slung a'tween the round-shot in Nombre Dios Bay,An' dreamin' arl the time o' Plymouth Hoe.

THE SHARD (or Shard of Glass)
currently the tallest building in the European Union.

THE CITY
the so called 'Walkie Talkie' building (foreground) andThe Gerkin (official address 30 St Mary Axe).

and then in The Pool of London the object of our desires.

HMS BELFAST
with the backdrop of
TOWER BRIDGE
not to be confussed with London Bridge as the Yanks did when they
bought it (thinking they were getting Tower Bridge) and shipped it off to the USA.

TOWER of LONDON

and 3 Jolly Sailor Boys were climbing up aloft
as the land-lub(ber) was lying down below, below, below!

For Whome the Bell Tolls

RADIO ROOM

BELFAST DECK PLAN

DOWN the HATCH

GALLEY

FOOD PREPERATION

DENTIST

A little more than a Sick Bay
OPERATING THEATRE

Now we're getting somewhere!
Up Spirits, Hands of Messes for RUM!

Heading for the SEAMAN'S MESS
I could already hear the familiar sound of a Sailor's favourite board game
UCKERS
a coplicated variant of the game Ludo, the player would need to be
familiar with such tactics as
Mixie Blobs and Suck-Backs.

NO! I am going to resist the temptation of a joke.

Some 'slumber' while the games go on but a Hammock for all that is not 'simply' a Hammock.

Probably
regarded (by the landlubber) as a simple, ancient and uncomfortable
sleeping arrangement, the Humble Hammock is far from that. From
practical experience, when the ship pitches and rolls this bed-roll act
similarly to the gimbals on a compass keeping just a gentle swing. When
'lashed' as the one in the foreground, ready to be stowed, it (or they)
make a fine 'plug' should the hull of the ship be breached. Held in
place by always readily available wooden batons, they make an ideal
'first aid' 'damage control' bung. If for any reason that failed and the
vessel sank, then it would be used as a buoyancy aid and if all else
failed it would serve as your 'final resting place'. Traditionally,
bodies would be sewn into the Hammock, which would be heavily weighted,
with the final stitch (look away now if you are squeamish) going through
what a Sailor would term as the Nasal Bulkhead (the cartilage
separating the nostrils) as a means of verifying that the person was in
fact deceased.

FOC'SUL PARTY to MUSTER

Is the Tower of London gettin NEARER?? Check the Moorings!

Shard and the Water Front

More Holidaymakers

The FORECASTLE

Anchors and Cables

LOWER BRIDGE

FUNNEL DECK

40/60 BOFORS

Ahhh! Fits Perfectly!

OPERATIONS ROOM

Where would the RN be without a Sound Powered Telephone??

When you consider, all of this type of sophosticated equipment
is now in your Mobile Phone!

Hugh and Daryl about to 'man' the secondary armourment.

AMMUNITION READY USE LOCKER

BATTLE HONOURS

Sat on a Bollard waiting for the others, musing as to how many 'thousands'
of man-hours and how many Holystones had gone to keep this
quarterdeck gleaming over the years!

TRAITOR'S GATE
at the Tower of London
and it looked as though they might be doing 2 be-headings for the price of one.
Later in the day we discovered the crowd were there to witness the 'fall' of
CERAMIC POPPIES
(one for every person who fell in the name of Great Britain in the First World War)
cascading into the now 'dry' moat.

SOUTH BANK ARCADE

RIVER THAMES SCENE
the last as we headed off to catch an Underground (Tube)
to Green Park in the City of Westminster.

BLACK TELEPHONE BOXES??
We were booked for lunch at Hugh and Daryl's Club in Town

Cavalry and Guards Club, 127 Piccadilly, London, W1J 7PX

Ay, we've just scrubbed them there steps!
A quick Cook's Tour
HALL

LOUNGE

and Oh that long awaited Pint outside on the Patio.

Features on the Stairwell

Didn't realise I had put on so much weight
9 stones 11 pounds????

and so to eat, for me
Whitebait,

Lamb Roast

and a nice bit of Apple Crumble and Ice Crean to finish.

Family friend Keith
joined us at the Club.

PS -
this is likely the first time you have ever seen me waring a TIE, I
don't even own one (Thank You Secret) and should be the LAST!

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About Me

Born Beeston, Notts 1946, my family moved to Dorset 1959. Joined the Royal Navy age 15 years and 50 days serving 10 years. In frigates firstly then over 5 years in Submarines as a Seaman/Diver, reaching the dizzy heights of Leading Seaman before leaving to join the Merchant Service, working in Ocean Salvage and Harbour Tugs, passenger / cargo ships, trials vessels, etc. Qualified as Mate (Chief Officer) in 1976 and as Master (Captain) in 1978. For my final 20 years of 47 I worked in the Offshore Oil Industry initially on the drilling rig Stena Hunter, then the accommodation barge Borgland Dolphin and finally the Floating Production Platform Buchan Alpha. On the rigs I forged a number of long lasting friendships several of whom shared some of my extensive travels. Setting foot on Caymen, Bermuda, Bahamas and The Azores in March 2013 brought my countries total to 147. The best, undoubtedly, was Antarctica, followed by Australia, Mongolia, Belize, Zimbabwe, China and Madagascar, in no particular order. As for my greatest achievement in life, my 2 beautiful daughters bear witness to that. Love to all our readers, your in my thoughts. Bagsy